Alleged leaked audio shows Paolo Banchero's frustration with $58,650,480 Magic forward's shooting disaster vs Rockets

The Orlando Magic have struggled to win lately, with All-Star forward Paolo Banchero showing visible frustration. These emotions manifested in the Magic's latest loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday. Reports suggest that Banchero directed harsh words toward a teammate following a costly mistake.

That teammate is center-forward Wendell Carter Jr., who missed a corner three so badly, that it missed the rim entirely. In fact, the Magic big man's shot was so off, that it struck the side of the backboard before being rebounded by the Rockets resulting in an empty possession.

Following that miss, Banchero supposedly had some choice words for Carter Jr.

"WTF they paying you for?" Banchero allegedly said.

In that game against the Houston Rockets, the Orlando Magic were held to under 90 points. At the final buzzer, the score was 97-84.

Carter Jr. started for the Magic and played nearly 30 minutes but only made eight points. He went 2-for-8 including a 1-for-4 from the 3-point line. However, he did grab 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Banchero led all Magic scorers with 25 points. He was only one of two Orlando players to score in double figures. The other is German wingman Franz Wagner, who scored 15.

This type of shooting performance isn't new for Carter Jr., as he's struggled to sink his 3-pointers lately. In the last 10 games, he has only made 26.1% of the 2.3 shots he's taken from downtown.

During this stretch, the Magic has gone 3-7 and have fallen to the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with a 30-36 record.

Carter Jr. is in year three of his four-year rookie scale extension worth $50,000,000. He signed a three-year extension last year which will start in the 2026-27 season. That extension is worth $58,650,480 according to Sportrac.

---

The Orlando Magic have had a worse winning percentage since Paolo Banchero came back from his injury

Paolo Banchero was sidelined from Nov. 1 to Jan. 9 due to a torn right oblique. He missed 34 games while recovering. During that stretch, the Orlando Magic won 19 of their games. That translates to a win rate of 55.8%.

Since returning from injury on Jan. 10, Banchero has appeared in 27 consecutive games without missing a matchup. However, the Magic's performance has declined during this period, winning just eight of those games—a win rate of 29.6%.

Paolo Banchero's numbers have looked good since he came back, though. He has averaged 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists since his return. They just haven't translated into team success.